tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21046697335218098622018-02-09T18:27:23.395-05:00Shek's CribAbhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-2585075070930868762010-07-09T11:58:00.003-05:002010-07-09T11:59:44.427-05:00My New Landing PageThis is my new landing page: <a href="http://findingmukherjee.com">http://findingmukherjee.com</a><br /><br />Click this to subscribe to my universal blog feed: <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/findingmukherjee">http://feeds.feedburner.com/findingmukherjee</a>Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-53463402405841515532008-11-23T22:49:00.003-05:002008-11-23T23:01:30.640-05:00The India TripI am leaving for India in two days, 25th to be exact. My bags are somewhat packed. I was laying down on my bed, staring at the lifeless ceiling fan and wondering why I am not excited about going to India. It does not seem normal. I am not excited about seeing the people and the places that I grew up watching.<br /><br />On further thought, I could point out a few things that are stealing the excitement away. Home is where the heart is. My heart is firmly planted in Jacksonville. This is where my job is, this is where my friends live and most importantly, this is where Laya is. So, the vacation is taking me away from my current home. I am also missing Laya already. We took naps together and long walks. She is being boarded at a good home with loving people, soft couches and other dogs to play with. Even then, I know she will miss me and I will miss her. <br /><br />I am also not happy about a few disagreements between my parents and I. They take the sweetness away from the relationship, even if it is guaranteed temporary. I am dreading the flight and no more procrastination will work. The time has come to put one foot in front of another and get on with the journey. Travel opens your mind and I am hoping for it to open mine. <br /><br />I am a little excited about meeting new people during the flight though. The last few international flights have been great in meeting new people and looking at life from a different angle. I am also traveling with more savings this time than any other. That is bound to be a good factor. <br /><br />I guess this journey, the next whole month is a pot-pouri of mixed emotions and uncertain experiences. It should be interesting. I hope to get some good pictures, digital and mental when I return on 29 December.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-43663059232243033872008-08-12T21:23:00.003-05:002008-08-12T21:57:40.025-05:00Pledges and Carbonated DrinksOne chilly morning in Jacksonville Florida, I woke up to a lot of hoopla on TV about the Gate River Run. Not thinking much about it, I proceeded to my second nap of the day. an hour later, the fastest runners had already finished the 15 kilometer run while thousands more followed. Waking up to this amount of adrenalin on TV filled me up with gumption. Never before had I hated my lethargy so much.<br /><br />An iPod Nano, Nike Plus shoes and a registration on the Nike Plus website later, I was pledging one of my most original, heart felt and sincere pledges. "if I dont finish 15K Gate River run in 2009, I will give up Soda and sweet tea for 2009"<br /><br />I have started to run but it does not seem to work for me. The aim of finishing the 15K marathon is not a solid enough goal for me. It is a too strenuous activity for a very distant goal. I dont particularly enjoy running. Moreover, the reason for me pledging in the first place was probably not as concrete as I thought it was.<br /><br />Running to protest against my laziness is very negative. It makes me feel bad about myself. My other activity of bicycling to work and errands to be more active, save the environment and be independent from cars and foreign oil is much more positive in its goals.<br /><br />Hence, I quit my pursuit of the pledge. I understand that there is a penalty. I have to give up soda and sweet tea for 2009. There should be a greater penalty for leaving the effort though. Something to teach me to think harder before going into a commitment. So, I hereby give up soda and sweet tea for the remaining 2008 and all of 2009. I wont be substituing it with beer. Just water.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-65178255444294055992008-07-05T23:12:00.002-05:002008-07-05T23:19:39.692-05:00High End Strip MallsStrip-malls are probably the most iconic sights of North America after SUV’s and McDonalds! Jacksonville FL probably is the Mecca of such iconic sights. The vastness of the city area has given the developers and planners untrammeled opportunities to build flat out inclusive of massive parking lots to park those gas guzzlers. <br /><br />Even the more recent up-scale construction projects like the prestigious Town Center Mall is nothing but a glorified strip mall. You don’t create quality by replacing a Chinese Takie-Outie with a P.F. Changs and the mom-and-pop-Italian-restaurant by a Maggiano’s. In their defense, there is a prestigious condo complex attached to the mall that even in today’s market is selling at $300,000 plus prices. There is this one lane inside this strip mall that is brick paved with no cars and a little pond with colorful fish in it. Makes it look all cool and European. You almost want to wander into those streets and shop at the designer stores and be sure that they are paying for common area maintenance for these stylish streets and are charging you for it!<br /><br />The town center mall is paradise for shoppers that think more is not enough but it is a crazy place for a cyclist that is trying to shed less carbon and lose some calories by cycling to his friend’s house. Well you see that they got rid of all those trees to put some walls up and stick expensive brand names outside them. The little gusts of winds pick up speed while those trees have ended up in some print out that will be glanced at once and then thrown away for the noble cause of maintaining a paper-less society. Uninterrupted, these gusts of winds rampage through the drab mall buildings and extra wide SUV spec lanes and create unnecessary head wind for the poor cyclist who was not enjoying the view and is now not enjoying the ride. <br /><br />Battling the strong head winds, the cyclist turns into St. John’s Bluff, taking shelter among a few tall trees till a gas station approaches. $4.09 9/10. That head wind feels every bit worth battling against!Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-41439566216235126812008-05-18T19:23:00.001-05:002008-05-18T19:25:39.067-05:00The Weather and IThe first few days of summer are here. Today’s winds blew in from the south-east bringing in warmth and change. I write this with mixed emotions. Praise, some rage, a little self-appreciation and a whole lot of independence overcomes me as I bring my trusty old keyboard out and plug it to the back of the laptop. Typing on the keyboard should minimize the loss of gumption in this long-forgotten venture of mine. <br /><br />I moved in to a new apartment two months back. This gives a lot more time to think about the things that are really important in life: life itself than ponder over spiral dreams of horsepower, women and logistics. I moved in alone. Well, Laya is with me, the only witness to my evolution. I trust Darwin’s ‘evolution’ and Gita’s ‘change’. I trust it to happen, even if ever so slowly and all I can do is to try to push in the right direction. <br /><br />I have been questioning everything only to see that people are either too lazy to think and already have made decisions or they take a debate as downright confrontation. Maybe I need to surround myself with better people but what’s better? Where do I find better? Is anybody better in an honest debate than myself? If I take a stand, shouldn’t I be responsible to prove it? Then am I my best critic?<br /><br />You see a lot of questions thrown around in the paragraph above. ‘Why’ is probably the most devastating of all. Why leads to observation and observation takes you out of the environment. Just like a photographer is always outside the scenery and the third umpire is never in the field. With observation comes responsibility, with responsibility comes seclusion and with seclusion comes the responsibility to not go insane. <br /><br />A few weeks have passed and the winds have changed since I started writing this. I feel a responsibility to not be lonely too. I was one of James’s groom’s men at his wedding yesterday and being among a ton of family members of the bride and groom makes me feel a little lonely today. So what do I do about it? Join a club and meet more people. I have some options and will be exploring them. More than feeling lonely is the want to do something. Something that has minimal or no ‘me’ in it. It is easy to get a little self centered when in seclusion and lonely. <br /><br />The changing winds have put me back into the scenery too, if only for a little while. From being behind the lens, I managed to creep in front of it. Literally. I have been photographing weddings and yesterday, I got the opportunity to be photographed. Not that I am portraying narcissism by saying that I like being photographed but it was a soothing change. The maid-of-honor also mentioned that I have a photogenic face but it was probably the zinfandel talking!<br /><br />Tomorrow, I slip back behind the lens. Literally and figuratively. Tomorrow, I start reading, learning, thinking, judging, critiquing, questioning, prodding, analyzing and inferring.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-55918476934547658882007-08-25T18:38:00.000-05:002007-08-25T18:41:16.955-05:00Photography and ShekI am recently doing a bit of photography. It has been one of the major reasons that keeps me from writing. My secret admirers complain that they do not get to read any more of Shek. Other than not having something significant to share with you, I do not have any motivation to write any more. If you read between the lines, you will find a hint that this post is a little serious. <br /><br />Photography is like my mistress that is keeping my blood flowing when I am not in my marriage which is my job. Not getting into the relevance of the institution of marriage, I want to move on to comparing photography to a mistress. I started photography in June this year and have been fairly impressed with my liking towards it. I did manage to click some pictures that, for me, was sex on the lens. I always did see things differently but never knew that I would be good at looking at my surroundings like there was a view finder in hand. It does scare me that I am superficially good at this. Scares me because I may not be the best and I want to be the best. <br /><br />How does one start photography? Take pictures and have other people review them. After this thought is processed in the mysterious brain, some words like Flickr, Blog, competitions are thrown in. I would like to concentrate on Flickr. In a business, a businessman only looks for financial advice from someone who makes more money than he does. That is my fundamental problem with Flickr. It is so infested by a bunch of amateurs that the quality of reviews through comments drop severely. Feedback is a vital part of any progress. Feedback plays a large role in molding the advancement and thinking of art. I want my mind to grow free. Photography is an expression, an art and like life, should be allowed to grow on its own, feeling its own way, finding its own counterpoint of expression. I'd rather have one professional photographer review my work than fifty amateurs. My stubborn mind does do a good job of keeping my thoughts from converting opinions to rules. <br /><br />A photograph is art and should be treated like a painting is in a gallery. It is something to be stared at, something to be felt. Technically, it is not a moment in time but a small length of time, a video, a piece of moving happening life on paper. All 1/1000 th or more seconds of it. I blog to put pressure on myself to see and think and observe and then push the button. Life through a lens is completely different. Better different. You can focus on a subject and see how the background blurs out creating a completely new canvas unseen by naked eye. <br /><br />My goal is to grab me an SUV (preferably a Toyota FJ cruiser, because I have a thing for cars and my dreams usually have well defined cars), grab Laya, the camera, the tripod, take a month's vacation and just go. No destination, no route. <br /><br />My mistress can be visited here: <a href="http://sheksaperture.blogspot.com/">Shek's Aperture</a> and here: <a href="http://jaxdailyphoto.blogspot.com/">Jacksonville Daily Photo</a>Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-58154250774576300142007-07-25T20:37:00.000-05:002007-07-25T21:25:56.343-05:00Desi Boy = 15 Yr Old Caucasian GirlA freshly graduated Desi boy is the same as a fifteen year old Caucasian girl. India's sub-hundred years of independence and the over two hundred years of dependence is to blame. <br /><br />I realise that the above two statements are pretty bold and I will lay down my case. I am talking about a recently graduated desi boy in the US of A with a fresh job, trying to soothe terrible wounds of being separated from those other guys that were his friends and family for the entire course of his master's education. In a new city, all people are alien, and he only has one roommate's shoulders to seek comfort rather than the ten plus pairs of shoulders he had in his little university town. He starts his social life in the new city with two commandments...all americans are the same and they have no culture. This implies that there are no American new friends to be made and no culture to explore other than movie and cartoon oriented theme parks. Then he proceeds to get himself a cell phone with unlimited in-network calls to be in-network with his lost buddies. <br /><br />India is not blamed till this point. <br /><br />Then calls are made. From everywhere and every time. That is where they push my 'Jack-ass' button. The phone is glued to the ear making that desparate call to his soul-mates from driving to work to eating dinner. "I understand that you need to keep in touch, but damn son, there is a difference between keeping in touch and being an active part of the life of your male friend from 600 miles away!" Americans, with their super-duper-sensitive radar for fruit-cakes call such behaviour 'Gay'. Anyway, one needs to have a riding lawn mower, a truck with either a gun-rack or a fishing-rod-rack in the back to qualify as straight in this free American society. <br /><br />The worst a desi boy can do to me is talk <b>incessantly</b> on his cell phone about mundane stuff with his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Friends_Forever">BFF</a> while in the car with me driving or while at my dinner table. If that desi boy is an old friend, I will ask him to mind himself, but if he is an acquaintance, I cant even tell him what an asshole he is. "No one gives you the right to make me look like a damn chauffeur and isolate the rest of the occupants of the car because you decided to have your chat at this very moment." I am not talking about making or taking a courtesy call. Desis talk about everything under the sun when someone else is driving. Moreover, they do it so naturally. Did I miss a course at school or a secret all-men-clan meeting in India because that behaviour is highly dis-respecting and ridiculous.<br /><br />This is where India comes in. I blame the immaturity to the sub-hundred years of independence for this dis-respectful lack of etiquette. <br /><br />And when he is not on the phone, he is on Orkut scrapping the very friends he spoke to for hours or finding cute girls to drop stupid scraps to. <br /><br />That is the exact equivalent of a fifteen year old Caucasian girl who, if not texting her friends is on MySpace commenting at their profile. Caucasian parents, please be a little liberal on those H1B laws and increases your chances of finding a daughter in everyone of us.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-38883827644835030032007-07-23T11:16:00.001-05:002007-07-23T11:17:42.419-05:00Carbon OutputI took a survey here: <a href="http://www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm?ver=13">link</a><br />My carbon output is 17 tons a year. <br />I am ashamed of myself.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-51288861155702452262007-07-22T17:54:00.000-05:002007-07-22T18:10:35.949-05:00Latina HottieZelaya is a hispanic name, a last name. Read about its origins here: <a href="http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/zelaya-family-crest.htm">link</a>. That is the name my Laya came with. I thought it was one of those weird racing dog names and cut the 'Ze' part out. I think other dogs understand her heritage and that is why her butt gets sniffed the most at the dog park. She is a Latina Hottie. The doggie equivalent of Eva Longoria. I love both Laya and Eva though, in very different ways! <br /><br />Anyway, she is pretty popular at the dog park. All the ruff-and-tuff dogs want to woo her, sniff her butt and run circles around her. They try to hang out together but Laya takes off after a few jogs and they are left behind in a cloud of dust, feeling dejected and humbled. Not many men can hang out with a dominating feminine partner who is genetically more proficient than them. This one time, a great dane was at the park and thought he was <span style="font-weight:bold;">it</span>. The ultimate man. The supreme dog at the park. Towering over every other dog, he was running the pack...till he met Laya. The wooing started when he tried to unsuccessfully out-grace her but trotting around her. They ran together for a while till Laya decided to sprint, and sprint she did. The great dane was left standing. Every dog and their owners were left standing as they watched Laya finish a complete circle around the doggie lake with so much grace to shame a peacock and ease to shame a Leapord. It is the effortlessness of her strides that make it so much beautiful to watch. <br /><br />She is on a liquid diet now that is easy on her stomach but is making her lose her tautness. My Eva is turning into J.Lo.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-72457283068936529802007-07-21T16:24:00.000-05:002007-07-21T16:40:36.246-05:00stinkfistThe 104 degrees hit my face like a hammer, knocking me out of my jet-lag as I left the office building after work on 19 July, the day I returned from England. I am back and a little changed. Every little trip I take, every person I meet and every post I read is making me change. I sometimes feel like a dis-formed object searching for form. This is something that I infer and not what someone else tells me. No one sees what I see. I speak to no one what I think and feel. Laya is the only close living being that is a witness to my metamorphosis. <br /><br />After my one week absence from the blog world, I almost feel alien to everybody I knew before the trip. New posts, new comments, new tags floating around make me a little uncomfortable. I feel like getting out of this stinkfist and immersing myself in my own world. I have over 1300 pictures to look at from my six day trip and I think that is what I will do. <br /><br />All I have to do is take the right trip, meet the right people and read the right post.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-16921862259523031512007-07-11T21:47:00.001-05:002007-07-11T21:53:10.326-05:00Gone Fishing...I will attempt to enjoy an 'English summer' vacation starting tomorrow till 18 July. My involvement with the blogger world would be spotty but I will guarantee to make up for the lost action when I get back. <br /><br />I also discovered something today about myself. I get very annoyed and somewhat emotional when I see child abuse on tv. I saw this movie tonight and it put me in a not-so-good mood. I need to stay away from such movies. I guess I take a very aggressive stance against child abuse and abuse of women.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-66171730129391813082007-07-09T21:43:00.000-05:002007-07-09T22:34:03.015-05:00The HeadacheEating Chewda right now. I had to buy the damn packets for $2.99 each because <a href = http://mavericksmusing.blogspot.com/>someone</a> consistently refused to make and send them to me. Not only that but <a href = http://mavericksmusing.blogspot.com/> the someone</a> that I am speaking about had the audacity to send me a link on how to make Chewda!!! I am Bengali. Laziness is my birthright no one should ever attempt to change regional stereotypes! Gone are the days of goodwill and charity. The world is a cold and harsh place now! Where is the love <br /><br />I wonder why they allow headaches in today’s society. Of all the things they find a cure for, mankind has not found a cure to persistent headaches. They invent Tylenol go-tabs though, to suppress that headache anytime and anywhere till it is time to buy another packet. I wonder if this is a conspiracy, because it is surely a kick-ass theory. You can not tell me that our parents got vaccinated with small pox vaccines due to which we young’uns didn’t even need to see that needle but the best they have done is sell Tylenol in a jar of 200. You can not tell me that <a href = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shower-curtain_effect>five theories</a> exist (Bouyancy Theory, Bernoulli Effect Theory, Horizontal Vortex Theory, The Coanda Effect and Condensation) on why the shower curtain blows inward during a shower but no one commissioned a successful study on that one super-tylenol that will eradicate headaches. Not only migraines, even simple headaches. <br /><br />I dedicate the above paragraph to the fact that there was critical bit of analysis regarding a mile long list of excel files and access databases for a customer to be done with a splitting headache. I was however successful in locating the problem and finding the answer. I brought the lingering headache back home to see a letter casually jammed between the door and the frame. At first I thought it was the leasing office complaining about my dogs peeing in the grass. Yes, a few weeks back some Indian dudes (my kind of Indian, not the 'Red Cloud At Sundown' named kind) who play volley ball outside my apartment made a fuss to me (very rudely, I might add) that my dogs peeing on the grass is pollution. These guys can be found standing outside their apartment, talking on their cell phones and flicking their cigarettes casually, spreading second hand smoke and undegradable ashes. Anyway, the letter was about a fine for not paying rent on time which successfully blew off a few more fuses in my cranial matter. The fine being a total of $100, I immediately rushed to the leasing office to sort out the problem. My cheque was not processed because they couldn’t find out what apartment I was in using my name. I am on the freaking lease! <br /><br />“Your name is not in our system, Sir.” My roommate made it to the <s>piece-of-shit</s> state-of-the-art-system that manages the <s>useless and inadequate</s> complicated and intricate functioning of this organisation. “We will wave off the fine this time, Sir. Please make sure to put the apartment number on the cheque the next time, or I won’t be able to help you again.” A threat! A god damn threat!!! I couldn’t believe it. By this time, more sparks had flown off my butt indicating that the standby fuses in my head have blown off. <i>Quoting Bill Engvall</i>, when I woke up today, I didn't want to be a Jack Ass. They just pressed my Jack Ass button! “I have been paying you rent promptly. Please make sure my name appears in the system. Your system is <s>retarded</s> not accurate. That should not be any of my problem <s>you lazy ass people</s>”. In their defense, the manager did take down notes to talk to tech-support to fix this issue. <br /><br />I then walked the dogs while successfully losing enough sweat to water a small back yard. That’s when I slipped into my shorts and t shirt and went to bed. Laya took the cue and cuddled in beside me. Eddie managed to find a thrash bag and I woke up to eager groans and licks on what was left of a plastic bottle and some empty cans of Laya’s food in the very middle of the living room. <br /><br />Now that I am awake after an early evening nap, I have to hunt down this Chewda that I am suddenly craving so much and just have to eat. Sometimes, I feel like a spoiled trophy wife! Therefore, I had to fish out this factory made bag of chewda when I could be eating home made chewda made by someone who knows how to make it and maintains a <a href="http://kitchenhelper.blogspot.com/">food-blog</a> to brag about cooking skills.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-42265864256897267602007-07-08T00:48:00.000-05:002007-07-23T11:18:18.832-05:00Save the Cheerleader Carbon, Save the WorldJust like a carbon offset, this post offsets the previous post, my fine evening out in Jacksonville. Such close proximity in posting should successfully over-shadow the last post, more so because this one is a little bit more serious than a bit of rain, a bad coffee and cognac. This one, though being written on 08.07.2007 is about my thoughts from the Live Earth Concert held on 07.07.2007<br /><br />I have been aware of the green house effect as a kid and I feel unsuccessful in doing something about it when I am <s>hopefully</s> all grown up. But we humans have that problem. Being aware is one thing. Acting on it after careful thought is another. Keyword(s): careful thought. Then there are always others who act without thought and solely on <s>mis</s>direction, but we thinkers are not talking about them, are we? <br /><br />The concert worked. At least on me. It kick-started this dormant chain of thoughts and ideas that have been trying to bubble up for a while. I want to contribute to the effort, so here goes the list. Global warming is evident. The hypocrites argue that it needs more research or that it is non-existent on a cold day (ha ha ha), but they also accept creationism and intelligent design completely disregarding all scientific proofs and hypotheses. So, they can all eat the proverbial dirt. <br /><br />I gathered the following list from the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC): <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/gsteps.asp">link</a><br />I will go along the list and write my views under the points. <br /><br />1. <b>Raise your voice.</b><br />This is what this post is about and my voice will not stop in the confines of these css codes. <br /><br />2. <b>Chose an efficient vehicle.</b><br />This is a sensitive topic <s>for me</s> and I will come back to it at the end. <br /><br />3. <b>Drive Smart</b><br />I get my engine tuned up professionally. The monthly prompt email from my car (<i>one of those <a href="http://www.onstar.com/us_english/jsp/index.jsp">onstar</a> thingies</i>) lets me know what tire pressures are and what they should be. The last one said they were the right amount. The air filter is working great. I will have the dealers check on it in another thousand miles at the next oil change. <br /><br />4. <b>Drive less</b><br />Jacksonville, Fl has a bus system that is not favourable to the everyday commuter unless your places to go revolve around the bus stop. Mine does not. The roads to the grocery store (Publix, Target) are not designed for pedestrians and bikers. It is absolutely ridiculous the route I have to take to go to Publix. Southerners love privacy too much to do effective carpooling. I do try to bundle my errands together to reduce the amount of driving. I need to try harder. <br /><br />5. <b>Buy Energy Efficient Appliances</b><br />I live in an apartment complex that is the oldest in this area. They are trying to make as much money as possible on rent before they get leveled and the land is taken over by a developer. I do try to turn the thermostat up during the day so it does not run while I am at work and is not too hot for the puppies. I will however plan my finances around energy efficient appliances when I buy my own house. <br /><br />6. <b>Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent tubes</b><br />I will run down to <s>Walmart</s> Target tomorrow. <b><i>Update: 8 July, replaced four 100 watt and four 60 watt bulbs with eight 60 watt energy saving bulbs</i></b><br /><br />7. <b>Weatherize your home or apartment</b><br />We check filters regularly. Like I mentioned, this is an older apartment complex. I will check with the management this week to see if they can do any further insulation. <br /><br />8. <b>Chose Renewable Energy</b><br />As far as I know, <a href="http://www.jea.com/community/index.asp">JEA</a> does not have any renewable energy options. Suggestions are welcome. <br /><br />9. <b>Buy clean energy certificates</b><br />I will do that after consolidating all my credit card debt. Yes, Mr Citibank, I do not love you as much as you love me. <br /><br />10. <b>Join an awareness group</b><br />On further research, I will join a group that does the most efficient work towards the prevention of global warming. I will be a member of a group by the end of August 2007. <br /><br />11. <b>Recycle</b><br />I buy recycled toilet paper, kitchen napkins and organic food. I try not to print anything at work or at home unless it is absolutely essential. I switch off monitor screens, unplug chargers when not required and switch off lights when not in use. I have to stop using those styrofoam cups for coffee at work. Also, it will be paper, not plastic when I go grocery shopping next. <br /><br />Now we come to number 2. <b>Chose an efficient vehicle</b><br />Here it goes. The normal roads in Jacksonville are good for cruising along at a comfortable 45 mph at which my car gives me around 33 miles per gallon (mpg) or 14 Kilometers per liter to my metric readers. That is a <s>sort of</s> good mileage. I love driving long distances and thats where I get 26 mpg on highways. Not too bad. It is the crazy driving I do, the accelerations that affect my mileage. On a quick zero to whatever, the mileage drops to 19mpg which is way better than the Suburbans, Expeditions and Hummers that seem to have filled the landscape. I would really want to buy a Toyota Prius (55 mpg or 23 kmpl). Actually a Honda Insight would be ideal but Laya wouldn't fit. The problem is that I love acceleration. It fuels my life and I want it every day. It does have something to do with my age and raging hormones or maybe it is something I will grow out of. Therefore, I am presented with this moral dilemma. I want to do something for the environment but I don't want to give up my car. If not anything, I want a quicker car. Now, the option to buy clean energy certificates sounds relieving. <br /><br />I do see myself in the future with a hybrid car and a motorcycle to fuel those speed-desires. <br /><br />All you thinkers are tagged. I will not mention your names here but I will personally drop messages. If you are an activist, consider yourself tagged. The rules are to write down what steps you are taking today and would like to take to reduce global warming.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-40183525025839396922007-07-07T21:12:00.000-05:002007-07-07T21:20:34.574-05:00Glycodin MochaRain poured on my hopes of photographing the <a href="http://www.mikestrong.com/dames/">Dames Point Bridge</a> today. The light was almost perfect with darkening clouds with spotty sunlight streaming through. I thought a wet suspension bridge lit by the evening sun with a background of dark clouds would be perfect. This time, the clouds decided to move in a little closer and rained stegosauruses and diplodocuses. If it rained enough to slow me down to 35 mph in a 65 mph zone, it must have rained a lot because I am usually the idiot driving at 65(ish!!!) mph in a 65 mph limit under torrential rain when everyone hide in the slower lanes (I call those ‘retard’ lanes). <br /><br />I did manage to snag some pretty pictures on the way to the quite little coffee shop: <a href="http://sheksaperture.blogspot.com/2007/06/slow-down.html">link</a> which was closed at 6pm on a Saturday! So, the owner decided to shut down a place (usually) meant for the younger generation who (usually) come out of their Friday induced hangover by noon (if not later) on Saturdays. 6 pm on a Saturday is like mid-morning. Next stop Starbucks, but who put the Moes next to it. I had to get a Quesadilla before quenching my Mocha-on-ice thirst. The special of the day in the mass-produced coffee shop was Raspberry Mocha frappuccino. Ordered that. $4.55. The person behind the counter handed the large cold drink that I accepted with high hopes and esteem. I pushed the dark green straw through the whipped cream and a foot of ice cubes before hitting the actual coffee. It did smell funny. The first sip confirmed my scent-based-hunch. It tasted like Glycodin and didn’t even cure my sore throat or get me high. I just ordered a relatively expensive coffee that tastes like common household cold syrup (that gets you high if an entire bottle is consumed. Mom and Dad, it is all hearsay!).<br /><br />On the other hand, I was managed to occupy one of those comfy lounge seats in the coffee shop and probably even managed to look ice-cube-cool to the three Indians that walked in a few minutes later. In the next 30 minutes, I walked around in Target with a list in my hand and managed to look like a married (or maybe taken) desi man. Most married men end up with lists in their hands at the grocery store if they are not accompanied by the list-maker. The dudes walking every aisle with no list in their hand and no idea what they want are usually single (my girl-readers, here is your clue for the day). <br /><br />Safely back home, the Hennessy is calling my name. The seductively tanned liquid requests to be let out so I can refresh myself on this rainy day. On the rocks or neat? Life is full of hard choices!Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-44400562463378781042007-07-06T22:06:00.000-05:002007-07-06T23:09:54.460-05:00Dessert - Drink - Entre - Dessert - More DessertI have been treating myself today. It all started by finding the all evading chicken breast pieces <b>with</b> bone. Publix always seems to be out of the with-bone variety and the boneless variety is devoid of all taste. That’s where the joy ride started in Publix today. Already fueled by the $5 off coupon, the with-bone chicken breasts were the perfect booster rockets. I also brought some organic minced chicken (kheema) for dinner today. Those breasts were meant for cooking only after extended periods of marinating. <br /><br />Over at the produce section, I picked up some peaches for the first time, maybe just to show off to myself that I can eat healthy. Then onions, baseball-big, yellow and a promise to produce enough tears to dehydrate Nicole Richie to death. Last nights promise of Mojito pulled me towards the Mint leaves. A few frozen packs of veggie, guava jelly filled puff pastry bites and Publix’s finest Pecan Pie later I was out to claim my $5. <br /><br />Dinner started promptly at 7:50 pm with munching up some (<i>most</i>) of those guava filled puff pastries. Those are like little drops of heaven. To die for! Then came the Mojito. My bartending diploma (<i>I have a certificate to prove it</i>) betrayed me when Wikipedia suggested the use of Club Soda which I did not buy. Something had to compensate for it and what better than the rum that was already going into the drink! Just hold the bottle up a little longer! The kheema was simply mind blowing, almost as good as how bad the Lamb curry was. More puff pastries after dinner pretty much anchored me to the recliner. The sight of Laya running around playing with Eddie depressed me because she probably converted more fat to muscle running around the dining table four times than I'd ever do running endless miles in the gym for a week. Anyway, the pecan pie has been warmed in the microwave for thirty seconds till the insides just started to simmer and now it sits on my plate, all pretty and fragrant. The puppies are eying the pie, now only if they could fly!Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-49807436452430412162007-07-05T22:02:00.000-05:002007-07-05T22:13:39.382-05:00MojitoThe Pot by Tool. They are singing a song that is close to my heart right now. I quit writing for a while because I was addicted to it only to replace the object of addiction by photography. Now I can not think of anything significant to write. My thinking mind is changed to an observing mind. Ideas and concepts swirl around in my head but I don’t want to write them. I want to think. The physical ‘do’, the reaction to the action of the mind is achieved through the camera. <br /><br />But still I write. I actually like this week. Being all by me in the company of two wonderful doggies is very nice. The house is finally in order. The eight chair mammoth dining table finally has some usable space in it. I can finally do more in the kitchen than open the drawer to take out spoons and forks to eat ordered food. The bedroom is spick and span though Laya managed to fish out my space bag, tear it open and explore the down jacket. No, she didn’t get into the layers and I didn’t have to come home to a bedroom snowing in imitation feather.<br /><br />The Cruzan pineapple flavoured rum helps. It is the perfect drink to cool me down this summer. I did get a free Muddler from the liquor store; a Mojito is on the way. <br /><br /><center><img src = "http://www.shekscrib.com/crib/pics/P1000767.JPG" width="480" height="360"/></center>Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-56604847379982087252007-07-04T08:25:00.000-05:002007-07-04T15:36:09.788-05:00MetroApparently a movie on infidelity in a busy metro goes well with lamb curry and rice over dinner. Well, that is the gist of the collection of electrical impulses sent to my brain looking at the array of movies while waiting to pay for the freshly cut lamb. <br /><br />Anyway, the movie depicted this high level of infidelity in this busy city. People searching lust and love amongst others and blaming it on the city. The moral was probably something like looking at what you have than what you don't. It made sense to me but I couldn't stop thinking about what I dont have. I dont have tender pieces of meat sitting among this curry and rice mix. I dont have a better movie to watch to wash this one off my memory. I dont have anything sweet to eat after this incomplete meal and no, I dont want that jello in the fridge. I also dont have to watch a Hollywood film anymore to see a real sex scene, sound effects and everything because Bollywood (Hindi Cinema Industry based in Bombay) movies, probably starting with Metro managed to do away with copulation euphemisms (<i>more information on those euphemisms here: <a href="http://lalitsingh99.blogspot.com/2007/05/no-kissingsex-please-we-are-indians.html">link</a></i>)<br /><br />The mating scenes were executed with the fine expertise of a soft-pornography director. The presence of a delicate cross-over of talent from the Bombay Porno Industry to the Bollywood Film Industry is noticeable. No more do the waves crashing onto the rocks depict the big-O. Most of the ideas conveyed were over-emphasized from my point of view but maybe not for the common man in India. The common man relies on Bollywood for information in ethics, trends and social issues. They are probably one step behind the south-indian film industry where the people make statues of actors and pray to them. We will catch up eventually, now that <a href="http://himesh-reshammiya.com/blog/">Himesh Reshammiya</a> is making movies...there is a whole new generation of 'low' that we are yet to see.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-11715501649882686192007-07-03T21:59:00.000-05:002007-07-04T09:04:38.744-05:00Cooking and CommitmentsThe well marinated and cooked pieces of rubber in my wok tell me a few things. One, cooked lamb when chewy sticks between your teeth so good that you tongue can do twisters all day at the frustrating crack in vain. Two, I have doubts on my expertise in successfully cooking meat. Three, I can’t really write with a show on Porsches playing in high definition ecstasy. <br /><br />Looking back in time, I have had a fifteen day sabbatical. Not too impressive per sabbatical standards but then I am no Professor at a university. The sabbatical was aimed at self revelation and awakening from the addiction, but I am not sure if I have achieved it. As a matter of fact, I am not sure what I have achieved. I do feel in more control over myself but that is just my biased opinion, that too on myself. <br /><br />Today, I feel like a twenty eight year old failed cook with lots of ambition and not much hope, a thirty five year old single daddy to Laya considering I have no night life and own a family sedan and a sixteen year old baby sitter to Eddie. And these are just my evening jobs! For the record, I am twenty four years old and am exposed to commitment and relationships and multi-tasking at a very early stage in life. The makings of the perfect husband myth! Did I mention I can cook too? <br /><br />All these people in the movies complain about boys to be men running away from commitments. I have locked my hopes, dreams and travel plans in some glass jar and thrown it away already. All you people who look at my profile, gaze at my handsome face, the rock-star goatee and a sexy dog and then want a dog for themselves, the grass isn’t that green on this side. Life gets divided into four to five hour slots and they don’t always match with that evening on the beach or that rave party.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-90150605610673045882007-06-17T21:50:00.000-05:002007-06-17T22:21:13.638-05:00CrackI am on blogger-crack. Crack is the street name for cocaine. More information here [<a href="http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13763">link</a>]. I am addicted to blogs. Reading, writing, posting, editing, templates, the whole shebang. I want to break free.<br /><br />A recorded <a href="http://www.hbo.com/johnfromcincinnati/">John From Cincinnati</a> is playing on my TV right now. It is a story about these three generations of surfers: a past legend, a son of the past legend turned dope-head and the future legend who is the son of the dope-head. Till the story actually shows itself, there are beautifully captured scenes of surfers riding the waves. I wonder how it feels to do that. I cant even swim.<br /><br />Anyway, surfing feels like the perfect thing to do right now. I want to get out of this blog world and do something real. I am not saying that my thoughts and ideas that I pen down are not real. They are very much the flesh and blood me. But they are words and words are only good as the person reading them. I like pictures better. A photograph changes with the light cast on it. Just like truth changes color as its narrator pleases. A photograph, unlike truth and unlike words shows what the photographer wants to show.<br /><br />I am taking a sabbatical from writing only for a few weeks, maybe a month till I straighten this addiction out. I promise to be more active on my photoblog [<a href="http://sheksaperture.blogspot.com/">link</a>]. I wont miss out on reading blogs and commenting on them though.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-61802715378357484482007-06-15T06:04:00.000-05:002008-12-12T22:37:31.735-05:00This is Shek, Southpark Style<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E1gGPicV244/RnJy3ey-5LI/AAAAAAAABQs/mZejqB1_lp4/s1600-h/Shek-Southpark+Style.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E1gGPicV244/RnJy3ey-5LI/AAAAAAAABQs/mZejqB1_lp4/s400/Shek-Southpark+Style.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076246027485242546" border="0" /></a><br />Thanks to <a href="http://www.leggnet.com/">Rich Legg</a>, I got my <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/">southpark</a> style portrait done. Get yours done here: <a href="http://www.sp-studio.de/">Link</a><br /><br /><a href="http://mavericksmusing.blogspot.com/">Sakshi</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://neihal.blogspot.com/">Neihal</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://shallowthoughts00.blogspot.com/">TGFI</a> is tagged (no hurries)<br /><a href="http://vagabond-diaries.blogspot.com/">Vagabond</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://meintransit.blogspot.com/">Rowe</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://stabilized.blogspot.com/">Sven and Trini</a> are taggedAbhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-84455070497572618442007-06-14T20:44:00.000-05:002007-06-14T21:05:06.111-05:00The New DawnThe last post was a vent out against astrology and related 'sciences' that pretend to guide our lives and show us the well trodden path. The real fact of life is that there is no well trodden path than the one you just walked on. All other paths will lead you to stumble on the very ditches that your leader stumbled on. It is just another way of amplifying other's mistakes. I'd sleep better if I made my own mistakes. At least I get to keep my spine. <br /><br />I am at a point in life that I am finding a voice of mine, a view through my maturing mind and a new world through my lens. No longer am I dabbling in odd and end hobbies and for once I am sticking to one. No longer am I listening to music that other people say I should be listening to. No longer am I believing in what I should be believing in. I believe in myself and I believe in hope. That is all I need to take on the world with my bare hands. <br /><br />I welcome the ever changing me with open arms. I am changing by the day and am not the same person I was a year back. Every day is a new beginning. A new birth. We are what we say and what we do. Our actions speak more about ourselves than we think. <br /><br />This post is a new kind for me. I suddenly feel free. I bought my first tripod today to go with my new camera and I tested it out. It felt great. I felt like I have a real hobby this time. And I left no stone unturned to nourish this hobby. A high capacity, high speed memory card and a tripod that most will vote useless. For some reason, taking pictures with my camera and tripod made me feel more mature than the day I signed the paperwork for my new car. The new car was a toy, a mature and calcuated decision. This camera is something deeper.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-61172909745785964082007-06-13T19:38:00.000-05:002007-06-13T21:11:03.049-05:00Star WarsThe way I see it, I am supposed to either talk about eight weird things about me or ten facts about me or both. Eighteen? I dont think you want to read all eighteen. Sakshi tagged me here: <a href="http://mavericksmusing.blogspot.com/2007/06/enough-about-me.html">link</a>. I already have a clear line of what is personal and what is public. So, these will be the most useless personal pieces of information that I can share in public. <br /><br /><center>EIGHT WEIRD THINGS</center><br />1. <b>I am very successful professionally and financially.</b> Actually, the real words were, "will be very successful blah blah blah" but stooping below the lofty belief that people of this day have for horror-scopes, I have to accept the inevitable and change the sentences from future to present tense. All future tense sentences will be in the present tense. <br /><br />2. <b>I have a definite divorce.</b> Yes, the verdict has been made by horror-scope makers all over the south asian continent. Shek would like to get married to a nice bengali girl but a divorce is inevitable. Hence, Shek requests permission to conduct a live in relationship till the age of 30 after which chances of a divorce are 'minimal'. I am sure the live-in relationship idea has the same fate as of one Richard Gere. <br /><br />3. <b>I am extremely moody.</b> So, now I am a pregnant woman in her eighth month? Mr. Horror-scope maker, please decide, you want me to be a man or a woman?! And how the hell do I get hold of a zygote? <br /><br />4. <b>I get angry very easily.</b> Maybe I should start taking those steroids after all because I ain't nearly as angry as they predict me to me. In fact, I am the most non angry person to ever walk this planet. But that will all change! <a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cattestc.htm">Testosterone Cypionate</a>, here I come. <br /><br />5. <b>Jupiter is my planet and I should only get married to a girl from jupiter.</b> Hey, I thought men are from mars and women from venus? Damn it! Horror-scopes have completely shattered my faith in other similarly useless pieces of information. I want to be from planet Zargon. Can I get to chose the planet? Please Please Please. I want to marry a fellow Zargonian because the Matrimonial Laws of Zargon clearly state the following:"Law 571, Para 5B: No financial exchanges will be allowed at a divorce settlement. Corollary to Law 571, Para5C: If antiquated prediction methodologies of under-developed civilizations prove that the separating husband may have ancestral origin of Jupiter, then he receives alimony and an Aston Martin."<br /><br />6. <b>I am destined to have a surgery of the leg by the age of 30.</b> This surgery will allow me to carry more weight, only gracefully. By the age of 35, I will receive an extra brain as a rose day present. This will be attached to my butt to make me more productive while sitting down. <br /><br />7. <b>By the age of 26 and 2 months</b> my you-know-what-that-cant-be-named-in-public-blogs will start growing at the rate of 1 inch per year with a standard deviation of 1/125th inch per year. By the age of 45, I will be able to open the door with my you-know-what-that-cant-be-named-in-public-blogs across the room without getting up from my seat. <br /><br />last but not the least,<br />8. <b>I am Manglik.</b> Hence, if I marry a non-manglik, she will die, i repeat, die, within one year (no deviation). Hence, there is a greater chance of dying getting married to Shek than there is while walking on the streets, smoking a cigarette, flying on Air India flights and eating pani puri outside Dombvili Railway Station. <br /><br />But number 8 is in contradiction to number 2. How can I have a divorce if my wife is supposed to die? Maybe it has already been predicted by the holy texts that I am destined to marry a fellow Manglik (in the female gender). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine">H.G. Wells</a>, eat dirt. We hindus already have in factuality what you spent all this time writing a fictional book about. <br /><br /><br /><center>TEN FACTS ABOUT ME</center><br />1. I hate yahoo messenger. <br />2. I dig girls with navel rings and/or lower-back tattoos. <br />3. I am not a dog lover. I just love Laya and Eddie.<br />4. I have been extremely lazy for the past few months. <br />5. I have inadequate financial planning.<br />6. I am working on my financial planning skills.<br />7. I love food. Not quantity but quality. I may not be the epitome of gluttony but I am up there on the list. <br />8. I hate it when people don't reply to emails and voice mails. If I have the decency to take up my time to record a message for you, you must show the decency of calling me back. <br />9. I don't care who you are but I will kick your butt from Jupiter to Planet Zargon if you insult either of my parents or my brother.<br />10. I will be your best friend if you let me, I will be an acquaintance or a nobody but I will not be your worst enemy. If I cant be your friend, I will not elevate you with the respect of being my worst enemy.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Just when you thought your reading for the day was over...<br /><br /><a href="http://aashraya.blogspot.com/">Crystal Blur</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://meintransit.blogspot.com/">Rowena</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://monalucysmile.blogspot.com/">Glazed Donut</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://itishapeerbhoy.blogspot.com/">iz</a> is tagged<br /><a href="http://malewar.blogspot.com/">Vivek</a> is taggedAbhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-77496251530219678562007-06-10T21:24:00.000-05:002007-06-10T21:48:14.560-05:00Kamakaze Driver27 May 2007<br />I would not be doing justice to my own first car if I don’t write about it. I already paid <a href="http://abhishekmukherjee.blogspot.com/2007/04/driven.html">tribute</a> to my dad’s 800. You all knew this would follow. Like all distant memories, this one needed a key to open up. Sven borrowed my satellite radio for the week for his trip to Vegas and I was left to the mercy of a few mp3s on my computer. This song, people, gets my heart racing for not how heavy it is but what I would do when this played. This is the key to some of the best times on a Florida freeway. <a href="http://www.vh1.com/shows/events/rock_honors/_2007/">2007 VH1 Rock Honors</a> plays on my DVR with HD picture and sound ecstasy and I am already in the mood. So, with my kick-ass shure ear buds on, I let this piece pound in my head one more time before writing…turn it up and put your seat-belts on…<br /><table style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><embed quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" src="http://static.esnips.com/images/widgets/flash/player_dj.swf" flashvars="autoPlay=no&theFile=http://www.esnips.com//nsdoc/3908cd91-cec5-4f08-8641-1844f5de4e2f&amp;theName=1Stp Klosr&thePlayerURL=http://static.esnips.com/images/widgets/flash/mp3WidgetPlayer.swf" height="169" width="372"></embed></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px;" align="center" valign="bottom"><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://www.esnips.com/doc/3908cd91-cec5-4f08-8641-1844f5de4e2f/1Stp-Klosr/?widget=flash_player_dj_comm">1Stp Klosr.mp3</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />10 June 2007<br />I have finally decided to finish this post. A few things have changed from when I started. I cant find my Shure earbuds any more. Maybe one of the puppies got it or it is simply lost in the mess I call my bedroom and I cant remember taking it to my bedroom ever.<br /><br />This is a post more about this remixed song than the drive itself. The song starts of so subtly, almost like the calm before the song. I was stopped before this red light with Arvind in my Eclipse. This song came up building up this huge potential energy that the car seemed to decipher in symphony with me. Every passing moment of the red light was just like an extending string, closing to its elastic stress point, waiting to be released. I clutched the leather clad beefy steering wheel with my left palm while my right hand tightened the leather grip on the stick shift. My left foot engaged the clutch and I ease the car into first gear. My right foot still holds the brake steadily. No inching. No looking around to see who I am up against at the thick white line of the junction.<br /><br />Then the soft chorus starts off and I know the main part of the song is about to stream in full volume. My eyes see the red disappearing and the green slowly appearing. My left foot lets go the suppressed clutch and the car lurches forward. The tachometer needle responds. My right foot has already let the brake go and is pumping in octane into the six working cylinders. No tyre squeal. The feed into the hot engine is perfect and the feed onto the front axels are perfect. The low profile tires deliver exactly what is asked for. I punched in through the gears before the RPM could drop and before a few seconds are up, I am at the speed limit and others at the lights wonder if there was even a car in front. I ease the car at a comfortable gear and cruise around. That was the journey. This is my destination. No race. No triple digit speeds. Just the joy of leaving every one behind and making my own way.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-30974705660529181292007-06-09T23:40:00.000-05:002007-06-09T23:42:09.141-05:00Shek's ApertureI like to write. At this very moment, there are two posts that are waiting for the right emotion to come flowing back so I can start writing again. I am no longer restricted by what I can write and what I can not. That distinction is clear.<br /><br />The two unfinished posts tell me something about me. This hobby of writing has its own motivation like everything else in life. My motivation to write is to effectively put into words what my mind sees. I also get motivated when others read my posts. Not being overly competitive, I do strive for quality and recognition of my writing. Shek’s Crib is like my home. Crib being the urban word for a hang-out joint. It is where I hang-out and my cyber friends hang-out. It is where my intellect hangs out. It is a canvas of what my mind, brain and heart sees. <br /><br />I am quite satisfied with portraying what my mind sees. It is time to portray what my eyes see. A nice camera is already on its way. It is time to decide what type of photography I want to concentrate on. I read a bunch of photo blogs to give me an idea of what is achievable through photography. Sceneries intimidate me. They are always so beautiful; I feel my lens may not do it justice. When it comes to beautiful sceneries, I always have dumped the camera and sat down on the ground to soak it all in. Some things are best kept in memories. <br /><br />I also do not want to do crazy alterations to pictures till they completely cease to exist and a chimera of nature and digital adjustments is formed. I want to be able to see what is beautiful that we see every day and not notice. I want to take nice pictures of Eddie and Laya. I want to take pictures of people. Everyone is beautiful and I want to capture that. Not models and stars but everyday heroes. I have a ton of inspirations and the sky is the limit.Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2104669733521809862.post-68183622273448184552007-06-06T22:50:00.000-05:002007-06-06T23:03:46.223-05:00Cute As A ButtonEddie seems to have overtaken me on popularity, that too in my own blog. How is a 24 year old bong dude with an ocassional goatee supposed to compete with this!?!?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.com/image/Abhishek.N.Mukherjee/Re90XHTzsfI/AAAAAAAAAd4/XEo-bhhEQGM/IMG_0055.JPG?imgmax=512"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://lh3.google.com/image/Abhishek.N.Mukherjee/Re90XHTzsfI/AAAAAAAAAd4/XEo-bhhEQGM/IMG_0055.JPG?imgmax=512" alt="" border="0"></a>This is one of the many pictures taken on his first day at our apartment. James brought the seven week puppy from Macon, Gerogia; a four hour trip that Eddie spent cuddled in James's sweat shirt. Eddie was the size of Laya's head or James's size 11 shoe. Eddie's small size did not deter him from bugging Laya then and he continues now with the same dedication.<br /><br />Ok, Ok, all you girls, here is another picture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.google.com/image/Abhishek.N.Mukherjee/Re90TXTzscI/AAAAAAAABNo/P-7RTyaQRpI/IMG_0052.JPG?imgmax=512"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://lh4.google.com/image/Abhishek.N.Mukherjee/Re90TXTzscI/AAAAAAAABNo/P-7RTyaQRpI/IMG_0052.JPG?imgmax=512" alt="" border="0"></a>And another one...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.com/image/Abhishek.N.Mukherjee/Re90VHTzseI/AAAAAAAAAdw/AlZaKP5ERMc/IMG_0054.JPG?imgmax=512"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://lh3.google.com/image/Abhishek.N.Mukherjee/Re90VHTzseI/AAAAAAAAAdw/AlZaKP5ERMc/IMG_0054.JPG?imgmax=512" alt="" border="0"></a>Abhishekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888384739268821710noreply@blogger.com7